October 22nd, 2009

October 18, 2009, 1:29AM

Oh, what a day Tuesday was!

Despite foggy conditions as we went down the Mississippi River, we saw and heard the support of people. We were amazed and humbled by the number of people who came out to witness the U.S.S. New York’s maiden voyage. And we thank them.

The shipbuilders of Northrop Grumman Avondale have constructed an incredible ship.
This ship is the best in the class. We look forward to demonstrating that to all. We know that the spirit of both 9-11 victims and Katrina survivors has been built into our ship. It gives us a sense of purpose like no other.

Over the last year, we have enjoyed the hospitality of the region. We thank the citizens of New Orleans and South Louisiana for welcoming us while we were preparing the ship and ourselves to get under way. It is a bittersweet time as we leave behind many new friends, but return to our families and get this ship operational.

We would like to offer special thanks to the Greater New Orleans Executive Association and the Ehrhardt Group for organizing and sponsoring this very special send-off. Crew members who were on watch inside the ship were disappointed they could not participate. Lining the levees was truly magnificent!

We thank each citizen, firefighter, police officer, school class, sailor, Marine, Coast Guard member, airman and soldier who lined the levees as we sailed by. It is with their support that we will go forward and complete our missions, to succeed in our role as part of the global force for good.

We will carry their well-wishes and support to New York City and beyond.

October 8th, 2009

The ship’s motto is:’Strength forged through sacrifice. Never forget.’Built with almost eight tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center, felled during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the $1.2 billion USS New York departs Northrop Grumman about 7 a.m., and is expected to pass near the French Quarter around 8:15 a.m.

As the USS New York winds down the Mississippi River from Avondale on Tuesday, Oct. 13, en route to its namesake city, local business leaders hope the levees are lined with well-wishers to give the ship’s crew a New Orleans farewell.

“We think that because of this ship’s special nature, it deserves a special send-off, ” said Lola Lass, president of the Greater New Orleans Executives Association, which is organizing the “Line the Levees” event.

She noted the ship’s motto: “Strength forged through sacrifice. Never forget,” and its analogous ties to the New Orleans region, whose shipbuilders, despite setbacks caused by Hurricane Katrina four years ago, invested sweat in building a vessel that honors a national tragedy.

“We want them to know we will never forget, because as New Orleanians, we know what it’s like to be forgotten, ” Lass said. “As New Orleanians, we can equate that to some of the things we lost in Katrina.”

From the Moonwalk to the Riverwalk on the east bank, and at Algiers Point and spots from Gretna to Belle Chasse on the West Bank, the association is hoping that thousands of people participate. The group will distribute about 2,000 American flags for the event.

Sailors will be posted on the Navy pier in Algiers to pay respects to the passing ship, said Capt. Brian Harrison, commander of Naval Support Activity, where the Navy was exploring whether military protocol allows a formal gun salute in light of the World Trade Center steel.

Thousands of Northrop Grumman shipbuilders and their family members filled the pier at the Avondale shipyard last week to tour the USS New York amphibious transport dock Navy ship. A similar display will occur on the ship, where sailors will be posted on the bridge wings, said Ensign Timothy Gorman, the ship’s public affairs officer. The crew will not formally “man the rails, ” a Navy tradition in which sailors line the outer decks.

“We’ll be saying goodbye as well,” Gorman said. “The crew’s had a good time in New Orleans. They’ve enjoyed visiting the city.”

The city of New York gave Northrop Grumman steel from the World Trade Center in 2002. Amite Foundry and Machine Inc., in Tangipahoa Parish, melted the steel and cast the bow stem, the foremost part of the ship that cuts through the water. The bow stem was barged to Avondale.

At least the sixth Navy ship to carry the New York name, the 684-foot-long LPD 21, or amphibious transport dock ship, is designed to carry 800 Marines, combat gear and helicopters. Its commissioning is scheduled for Nov. 7 in New York.

After the commissioning and the crew’s participation in a Veterans Day parade on Nov. 11, the New York returns to its home port in Norfolk, Va., to begin certifications before it joins the fleet.

“We don’t anticipate being on deployment until late 2010, ” Gorman said.

The New York is the first of three amphibious transport dock ships to be named for sites associated with the Sept. 11 attacks. The Somerset, named for the Pennsylvania county where a hijacked airplane crashed, is being built in Avondale, and the Arlington, named for the Pentagon crash, will be built at Northrop Grumman’s shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.

. . . . . . .

Paul Purpura can be reached at ppurpura@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3791.

August 22nd, 2009

WASHINGTON (NNS) — The Navy officially accepted delivery of the future USS New York (LPD 21) from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (NGSB) during a ceremony Aug. 21 at the company’s Avondale shipyard in New Orleans.

New York is the first of three LPD 17-class ships built in honor of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The ship’s bow stem was constructed using 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center. The Navy named the eighth and ninth ships of the class – Arlington and Somerset – in honor of the victims of the attacks on the Pentagon and United Flight 93 respectively. Arlington and Somerset are also incorporating materials salvaged from those sites.

New York completed acceptance trials July 24, performing well for the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). During the detailed inspection, all shipboard systems and equipment, including combat, ship, machinery control and mission systems, were successfully demonstrated during a series of demanding inport and at-sea test events. This trial confirmed the continuing improved class trend in system design specifications and quality assurance programs.

“This ship will be a symbol,” said Capt. Bill Galinis, the LPD 17-class program manager for the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Ships. “The Navy and the shipbuilder have worked hand-in-hand to deliver this highly capable warship to the Navy and our nation. It has been a tremendous privilege for all of us who have had an opportunity to participate in the construction of this ship.”

The principal mission of LPD 17-class amphibious transport dock ships is to transport and deploy the necessary combat and support elements of Marine expeditionary units and brigades. The ship will carry approximately 720 troops and have the capability of transporting and debarking air cushion (LCAC) or conventional landing craft and expeditionary fighting vehicles (EFV), augmented by helicopters or vertical take off and landing aircraft (MV 22). These ships will support amphibious assault, special operations and expeditionary warfare missions through the first half of the 21st century.

New York is the fifth ship of the LPD 17-class and the fifth ship in the Navy to be named after the Empire State. Arrival in New York is scheduled for November. Early events will be focused on ship’s crew, their families, first responders and 9/11 families. Public viewing is scheduled in the days prior to and days following the commissioning, slated for Nov. 7.

The future USS New York LPD-21 under construction at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems’ shipyard in Avondale, LA, will be the fifth amphibious transport dock of the San Antonio class. The ship was named New York after the state and incorporates in its construction steel salvaged from the World Trade Centers. Her ship motto is "Never Forget." "We're very proud that the twisted steel from the WTC towers will soon be used to forge an even stronger national defense," New York Gov. George Pataki spoke in 2002. "The USS New York will soon be defending freedom and combating terrorism around the globe, while also ensuring that the world never forgets the evil attacks of Sept. 11 and the courage and strength New Yorkers showed.” This will be the seventh U.S. ship named New York.

The purpose of this website is to provide information and news about the USS New York (LPD 21) to the general public. All information on this site is considered public information and may be distributed or copied unless otherwise specified. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested. All logos and trademarks are owned by their respective organizations and used with their courtesy.